Cabinet for telegraph printers



May 13, 1941. v wElDNER 2,241,797

CABINET FOR TELEGRAPH PRINTERS Filed June 11, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet l FIG.2 t

i 15d l INVENTOR VICTOR WEIDNER BY WAM ATTO N EY May 13, 1941.

CABINET FOR TEILEGRAPHA PRNTERS Filed June ll, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 4^-l FIG. 4 /44/ |4o K 1 1 ...-5 V le lef E' 22 au l |91 ,9 '02 95 INVENTORi 9 VICTOR WEIDNER ATTORNEY May 13, 1941. v. wElDNx-:R '2,241,797

CABINET FOR TELEGRAPH PRINTERS Filed Ju ne 1l, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 l5ak g INVENTOR :L2 15 VICTOR WEIDNERl ATTORNEY Patented May 13, 1941CABINET FOR TELEGRAPH PRINTERS Victor Weidner, Port Washington, N. Y.,assigner to The Western Union Telegraph Company, New York, N. Y., acorporation of New York Application June 11, 1938, Serial No. 213,131

13 Claims.

The present invention relates to telegraph printing apparatus, and moreparticularly to telegraph printing apparatus embodying transmitting,selecting and receiving mechanisms such, for example, as the sending andreceiving printers employed in telegraph message exchange systems inwhich a subscriber can transmit and receive printed messages to and fromother subscribers in the system or to and from a central or branchoffice in the system.

Telegraph exchange systems of the foregoing character are well known inthe art, and various known types of sending and receiving telegraphprinters may be used in such systems. Usually a printer is employedwhich has a typewriter keyboard for transmission, and either a typewheelor typebars for printing the received messages and also for providing aprinted copy or copies of each message transmitted by the printer. Onetype of page printer which is suitable for use in an exchange system isdisclosed in the application of Noxon et al., Ser. No. 66,906, filedMarch 3, 1936, for Telegraph printer, assigned to the assignee of thepresent application. Various other types of tape and page printers may,of course, be used.

The printers heretofore employed in exchange systems have been subjectto Various disadvantages in regard to the operation and maintenancethereof. Among these disadvantages are that the paper on which themessages are printed acts as l a tympanum or sound amplifying membrane,and thus objectionable noise is produced by the vibration of the paperdue to the operation of the typebars or printing wheel as they strikethe paper during the printing operations. This is particularlypronounced in page printers of the type in which the platen is mountedon a traveling carriage that moves transversely along the printer, sinceit is necessary in such a printer to provide a loop of paper ofconsiderable length between the paper roll supply and the printingplaten to enable the carriage and platen to move with respect to thepaper roll without tearing the paper or causing it to roll aslant on theplaten, and such a loop greatly amplifles the vibrations imparted t tothe paper during the printing operations. and thus sound vibrationswhich are of a frequency that is especially disagreeable to the ear areproduced and are audible in the ofce in which the printer is located.Also, the noise produced by the other elements of the transmitting,selecting and printing mechanisms is highly objectionable anddisturbing.

Another disadvantage heretofore present when page printers have beenemployed is that the 1.

relatively long loop of paper between the supply roll and the printingplaten is exposed, and is liable to be pulled or torn, or to be blownaside by breezes from electric fans or open windows, thus adverselyaffecting the printer operations. Also, since the paper is hygroscopic,it absorbs moisture from the surrounding air when the humidity is high,and when paper having gum or other adhesive on one side thereof isemployed, as is often the case in tape printers, the gum or adhesivebecome sticky due to the absorbed moisture and tends to cause the paperor tape to stick to the platen and other parts of the machine.

Other disadvantages are that the printer, when placed on a table orother article of furniture is unsightly, and usually is not asaccessible or convenient to the operator as is desired, the printer alsofrequently being subject to accidental injury and to tampering byunauthorized persons.

An object of the present invention is to provide a self-containedprinter unit in which the foregoing disadvantages are obviated, and inwhich the printer is completely enclosed at the proper Working heightfrom the floor, with only the keyboard and platen wheel handle of theprinter exposed, the vital parts of the printer being protected fromdust and damage.

Another object of the invention is to minimize or obviate theobjectionable noise produced by the various elements of the printer andalso the paper, incident to the operation of the printer.

An additional object is a printer unit in which the paper loop betweenthe supply roll and the printing platen is not affected by air currentsin the ofce and is not subject to tearing or injury by accidentalcontact therewith by persons or foreign objects, and which is kept fromabsorbing moisture present in the surrounding air, so that the paper andany gum or adhesive thereon is maintained dry in service.

Still another object is the provision of a more suitable telegraph unitof the character disclosed, which is immediately accessible to thetypist or operator, which may readily be moved to any desired positionin an office and in which the mechanisms are readily accessible tomaintenance men for inspection, repair or replacement purposes, withoutbeing subject to unauthorized tampering or accidental injury to thevarious parts thereof.

Another object is the provision of suitable means to facilitate tearingoff messages as they issue from the printer.

Other objects and attendant advantages will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description,

taken in connection drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front view in elevation of a printer unit constructed inaccordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 1;

3 is a front View showing the device in open position, with the printerremoved more clearly to disclose certain features of the device;

Fig, 4 is a sectional view, taken along the line 4 4 of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 is a section taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a section taken along the line 6 6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view showing certain details of the printermounting means;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary View of latch means employed in connection withthe back cover of the unit;

Fig. 9 is a section taken along 9-9 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary view showing details of the paper shearingdevice employed for tearing orf messages as they issue from the printer;

Fig. l1 is a fragmentary view, looking in the direction of the arrowsII-II of Fig. 1, showing the manually operable handle for turning theprinting platen, and the slotted portion of the cabinet through whichthe handle extends;

with the accompanying Fig. 12 is a View showing how the handle of Fig.

11 is operatively connected to the printer platen to permit transversemovement of the platen; and

Fig. 13 is a section taken along the line I3--I3 of Fig. l1.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 4, the printing unit comprises a cabinetpreferably formed from sheet metal stamped or rolled to the desiredconfiguration, in which the printer and associated operating and controlelements are acoustically en-- closed. The cabinet has front and rearwalls I2 and I3 respectivelyyand two side walls I4 and I5. The frontportion of the cabinet comprises a compartment IE, Fig. 4, whichacoustically en` closes the sending and receiving printer, including thevarious transmitting, selecting and printing mechanisms. a page printerP of the type disclosed in the aforesaid Noxon et al. application beingshown in the drawings. The lower portion of the two side walls I4 and I5are rolled, as at Ida' and to form four legs to which are secured, as bywelding, feet i8, the latter having sliders It! which enable the uniteasily to be slid over the iioor to any desired position in the officeor other room in which the printer is used. The

members I9 are secured by bolts 2l, Fig. 9, to the feet I8. the slidersbeing separated from the feet by resilient pads 22 of rubber or othersound amnening material.

Braces, such as channel members 23, Figs. 4 and 6, tie the legs togetherand stiften the bottom edges of the metal sides I4 and E5. Other channelmembers 25, 2E, 21, 28 and 29, Figs. 4 and 5, are employed to stiifenthe cabinet and also serve as supports for the various mechanismselements of the printer structure. The channel member ig. 4, which issecured to the rear wall I3 of the cabinet, supports the lower portionof a well 5i that enclose-.s the loep L of the paper P on which themessages are printed, as hereinafter described in detail. The channelmembers 21, 2S and ii, 5, serve as supports for a plate or board whichforms the floor of the compartment I5 and provides a mounting means forthe printer, the floor member 32 being secured to the channel members inany desired manner as by bolts 33.

'Ihe metal sides i4 and I5 extend almost to the floor, but stop a fewinches above the floor as seen in Fig. 4 to aiiord sufficient space fortoes of shoes of persons approaching or standing beside the unit andthus enable such persons to stand closer to the unit to facilitatereading the messages as they are printed without interfering with theoperator seated at the printer keyboard K at the front of the unit. Thelower portions of the sides I4 and I5, together with the rear wall I3,aiord a desired privacy for the female operator sitting at the keyboard.The length of the legs I 4a and I5a is such that the keyboard is at theoptimum working height for the operator when seated at the printer.

The full line drawing of the printer P, 4, shows the printer in itsnormal operating position in the compartment I8; the dot-and-dashoutline of the printer shows its position when resting on a movablesupport 34 in front of the cabinet, as hereinafter set forth, forinspection, repair or other purpose.

In its normal operating position the base 35 of the printer rests inguideways 31 of a supporting framework 37, 38, Fig. 5, which frameworkis mounted on four resilient supports, one of which is shown in detailin Fig. 7. Each resilient support comprises a bracket member 39 Secured,as by machine screws, to the frame member 38. Resilient members 40 ofrubber or other suitable material are vulcanized or otherwise secured tothe bracket 39 and to angle pieces 4I which are received Within a recess32a of the printer compartment floor member 32. Stop members 42 on theguideways 31, Fig. 5, determine the proper operating position of theprinter within the compartment. The resilient mounting means dampenvibrations set up in the printer and prevents them from beingtransmitted to the cabinet structure. The floor member 32 preferably ismade of wood or other material that assists in dampening vibrations setup in the printer and its supporting framework.

'Ihe front portion of the compartment I Ii includes a door 5I hinged at52 by means of which the door may be raised as shown in full line inFig. 3 and in dot-and-dash outline in Fig. 4 to give ready access to thefront of the printer. The door has a transparent portion of glass orother suitable material to enable the messages to be read by theoperator and others as the messages are printed, without the necessityof opening the door. The rear portion of the compartment has a door 51hinged at 58 to the rear wall of the compartment, the door being held inclosed position by means of a spring latch 59, shown in detail in Fig.8. The door is provided with a handle so that the door may be opened, asindicated by the dot-and-dash outline in Fig. 4, to replenish the supplyR of paper or for any other purpose.

Notwithstanding that the printer is resiliently mounted to prevent thetransmission of vibrations from the printer to the cabinet, the noisecaused by the transmitting, selecting and printing mechanisms ordinarilywould cause vibrations in the air within and without the compartment andproduce a disturbing eiect in the oiice when the printer is operating.To obviate this, the printer compartment is acoustically insulated byfelt pads or other suitable sound dampening material El, 3 and 4,secured in any desired manner, as by glueing, to the inner walls of thecompartment including the doors and 51, the material 6| also dampeningvibrations which may be set up in the compartment walls themselves.Noises which otherwise Would escape through the opening of the keyboardK are effectively prevented from escaping by flexible strips 65 and 66of rubber or other suitable material. The strips 65 are secured, as bymetal strips, to the lower portion of the door 5| and closely engage theupper and side portions of the printer when the door is closed, as willbe seen from Figs. 1 and 4. The strip 66 is secured in any suitablemanner to the front Wall of the compartment and closely engages the base36 of the printer.

Referring to Figs. 4 to 6, the paper P on which the incoming messagesand also copies of the outgoing messages are printed, comes from asupply roll R and is caused to form a loop L of considerable lengthbefore the paper passes to the platen 12 where the printing operationsoccur, thereby to enable the platen and carriage of the printer totravel transversely due to the line printing operations without tearingthe paper or causing it to roll aslant around the platen. Ashereirrbefore stated, the long paper loop acts as a tympanum or soundamplifying membrane, but since the loop is completely enclosed by thewell 3| and rear wall I3 of the cabinet, the vibrations set up andamplified by the paper due to the printing operations are muflled andprevented from escaping to the room, and thus the hitherto objectionablenoise caused thereby is eliminated. The supply roll R is carried by ashaft which is supported by a bracket 1| secured to the rear wall of thecabinet, the bracket also serving as a paper guide in the manner shownin Fig. 4. The bight in the paper loop is maintained by a bar 12suspended at its ends by flexible wires or cords 13, these cords beingsuspended from straps 1I carried by pin wheels 15. The pin wheels areloosely mounted on the shaft 10 in order that the shaft may turn withthe paper roll R without causing rotation of the pin wheels. The strapshave perforate portions which receive the pins to hold the straps in thedesired position as the paper is fed through the printer. As the paperin the loop L is taken up by the operation of the f printer line feedmechanism, or by turning the platen handle 95, the bar 12 is momentarilylifted a slight distance due to the shortening of the loop, but the rollR is then caused to rotate,

in a clockwise direction as viewed in the figure, l

to feed paper into the loop until the bar 12 is again in its lowermostposition. In addition to acoustically enclosing the paper loop, the well3| prevents the loop from being accidentally pulled, torn, or otherwiseinterfered with during the printing operations.

The well 3| also prevents the paper from absorbing moisture from theatmosphere, the paper being kept dry due to the fact that it iscompletely enclosed and also because the heat generated by the motor andother parts of the printer mechanism causes convection currents of dryair to circulate around the paper. This insures greater uniformity inthe operation of the machine, and in those cases in which the paper hasa coating of gum or other adhesive substance, the absence of moistureprevents the adhesive from becoming soft or sticky.

As the printing operation proceeds the paper P passes through a slot inthe top of the compartment I6, as shown in Figs. 4 and 10, guides 8| and82 being provided to pass the paper through the slot. The guide 0|extends downwardly and projects past guide 82 a substantial distance,thereby to enable the operator easily to thread the paper into the slotwhenever this becomes necessary, as when a new supply of paper isinserted in the machine, i. e., by placing the end of the paper againstthe downwardly projecting portion of guide 8| and turning the handle 95which causes the paper to be advanced by the platen 12 and guidedthrough the slot. This may be done merely by feeling for the projectingportion of the guide 8|, and without the necessity of hunting the slotfrom the inside of the compartment. To facilitate tearing off themessages as they issue from the printer, the door 5| has a shearing edge83 positioned at the upper end of the slot through which the paperpasses, the shearing edge being so positioned relative to the platen andguide elements that tearing oil the message exerts no pull on the paperin the printer and thus does not affect the printing operations.

'I'he printer P is of the type in which the carriage and platen movetransversely with respect to the printer structure during the lineprinting operations, and in order to enable the printing platen 12 to beturned manually from without the cabinet, whenever desired, a square rod99, Figs. l2 and 13, is slidably positioned within a square opening inthe platen shaft |00, the outer end of the rod 99 being supported in aslot |02a of a bracket |02 secured to the member |03 of the printerframework. A collar |0I having flanged portions slidably engaging thesides of the slot |02a prevents traverse movement of the rod 99 whilepermitting the rod to rotate with the platen as the printer line feedmechanism operates, and also permits the platen to be turned manually bymeans of the handle 95 detachably secured by means of a spring to areduced portion 96 of the rod 99, as shown in detail in Fig. 13. Thehandle has a slotted portion 96a which receives a pin 91 that passesthrough and is fixed in the shaft 96, the spring 98 coacting with thepin 91 to detachably hold the handle 95 in position during the operationof the machine. The slotted portion |02a enables the printer carriageand platen 12 to move vertically from shift to unshift position of theprinter, and vice versa, during the printing operations. A brace |04strengthens the support |02 and prevents vibration at the outer endthereof. As will be seen from Figs. 1l and 12, the apertured portion ofthe cabinet through which the handle 95 extends is closed by a strip |05of soft rubber or other suitable material which prevents escape of thenoise due to operation of the printer, and at the same time does notinterfere with the vertical movement of the printer carriage and platen.As shown in Fig. l1, the strip |05 has slits out therein to facilitatethe Vertical movement of the handle 95.

Referring to Figs, l and 2, there is shown a convenient and eiiicientform of message holder, comprising a spiral spring |01 secured at itsends by lugs |08 to the door 5| of the printer compartment, a tube |09of rubber or other suitable material being carried by the spring. 'I'heassembly securely holds a message in the proper position to be readeasily by the operator when transmitting the message while permittingthe message readily to be inserted, removed or adjusted to differentpositions by the operator. The handle 53 may be used as a rest for thelower edge of the message or other paper held by the message holder.

Referring again to Fig. 4, the auxiliary printer support 3d is pivotallymounted at 86 to the under side o the compartment I6 and normally isheld up under the floor of the compartment by a latch l of spring metalhaving the lower end thereof secured, as by riveting, to the well 3l.The upper end of the latch projects from the well and engages thesupport 34 to hold the same flat against the bottom of the compartmentwhere it is completely out of the way of the operator. Whenever itbecomes necessary for a maintenance man to inspect or work on theprinter, the spring il? is manually pushed inwardly thus permitting thesupport 3ft to be swung downwardly and outwardly to the position shownin full lines in Fig. 3, and in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 4, thesupport being rigidly held in the latter position by means of two rods8S each pivotally secured at one end to the support 3, the rods havingfree ends for engagement with supporting eyes Si? on the legs lila andZia of the cabinet. When the support is thus erected, it is sufficientlystrong to hold the heavy printer.

To remove the printer from the compartment the cover l is raised and theplaten handle 95 detached by pulling the same ofic the end of the rodS6, after which the printer may be slid on to the auxiliary support 34,at which time all oi the operating parts of the printer are accessible.The electrical connections to the printer preferably are of sufficientlength to enable the printer to operate while on the auxiliary support.Aiter the printer is returned to its compartment, the free ends of therods 8g are disengaged from the supporting eyes and by means of theswivel mountings 9| the free ends of the rods may be swung inwardlytowards each other, as viewed in Fig. 3, and laid nat against thesupport 34 where they are held by spring pressed clips 92. The support34 is then swung inwardly until it passes the spring latch 8?, the rodsE9 being concealed by the support and lying in the position shown inFig. 4.

The necessary electrical terminal boxes are mounted on the inner side oithe wall of .the compartment l5, and thus no electrical connections orapparatus need be disposed on the outside of the cabinet. electricalpower supplied to the printer is mounted in the wall i4 of the cabinetand only the handle of the switch is exposed.

In the illustrative embodiment disclosed the cabinet body is made fromsheet metal which may be pressed into any desired configuration andfinished in a manner to present a pleasing appearance so that thecabinet will be regarded as an ornament in the oiiice rather thanunsightly apparatus as was heretofore the case. It will, of course, beunderstood that the cabinet may be made of other material than sheetmetal such, for example, as phenolic condensation products or otherplastic compounds, and any desired configuration may be employed.

While there is shown and described herein a preferred embodiment of theinvention, many other and varied forms and uses will suggest themselvesto those versed in the art without departing from the invention, and theinvention is, therefore, not limited except as indicated by the scope ofthe appended claims'.

I claim:

1. A unit for supporting and enclosing a sen l- A switch for controllingthe ing and receiving telegraph printer having mechanism including akeyboard for transmitting outgoing messages and selecting and printingmechanisms for receiving incoming messages, saidunit comprising acabinet having upper and lower portions, said upper portion forming acompartment enclosing said printer, said compartment having an aperturedportion through which said keyboard projects to enable operation of thekeys by an operator, said lower portion of the cabinet including sidewall portions integral therewith, said side wall portions including legsextending to the floor of the room in which the printer is located andsupporting the printer compartment and printer keyboard at the properworking height from the floor, and a support secured to said cabinet andmovable to a position between said side walls and substantially iiatagainst the bottom of the upper portion of the cabinet when the supportis not in use, said support being movable into position to receive andsupport the printer at the front of the cabinet when the printer ismoved out of the cabinet for inspection, adjustment, repair, or otherpurpose.

2. A unit for supporting and enclosing a sending and receiving telegraphprinter having mechanism including a keyboard for transmitting outgoingmessages anol selecting and printing mechanisms for receiving incomingmessages, said unit comprising a cabinet har/infT upper and lowerportions, said upper portion forming a compartment enclosing saidprinter, said compartment having a transparent portion through which themessage may be read and an apertured portion through which said keyboardprojects to enable operation of the keys by an operator, meanscomprising sound dampening material within and substantially lining theinner walls of the compartment ior acoustically enclosing the printerand preventing escape of the noise caused by operation of the printer,said means including nexible strips closely engaging the keyboard whereit projects from the compartment, said lower portion of the cabinetincluding side wall portions integral therewith, said side wall portionsextending to the floor of the room in which the printer is located andsupporting the printer compartment and printer keyboard at the properheight for the operator when sitting at the cabinet, and a supportsecured to said cabinet and movable to a position between said sidewalls and substantially dat against the bottom of the upper portion ofthe cabinet when the support is not in use, said support being movableinto position to receive and support the printer at the front of thecabinet when the printer isI moved out of the cabinet for inspection,adjustment, repair, or other purpose.

3. A unit for supporting and enclosing a sending and receiving telegraphprinter having mechanism including a keyboard for transmitting outgoingmessages and selecting and printing mechanisms for receiving incomingmessages. said unit comprising a cabinet having upper and lowerportions, said upper portion forming a compartment enclosing saidprinter, said compartment having an apertured portion through which saidkeyboard projects to enable operation of the keys by an operator, and ahinged door positioned so as to make the printer immediately accessibleto the operator by opening the door, means comprising sound dampeningmaterial within and substantially lining the inner walls of thecompartment including said hinged door for acoustically enclosing theprinter and preventing escape of the noise caused by operation of theprinter, said lower portion of the cabinet including side wall portionsintegral therewith, said side walls extending to the oor of the room inwhich the printer is located and supporting the printer compartment andthe printer keyboard at the proper height for the operator when sittingat the cabinet, and a support secured to said cabinet and movable to aposition between said side walls and substantially ilat against thebottom of the upper portion of the cabinet when the support is not inuse, said support being movable into position to receive and support theprinter at the front of the cabinet when the printer is moved out of thecabinet for inspection, adjustment, repair, or other purpose.

4. A unit for supporting and enclosing a sending and receiving telegraphprinter having mechanism including a keyboard for transmitting outgoingmessages and selecting and printing mechanisms for receiving incomingmessages, said unit comprising a cabinet having upper and lowerportions, said upper portion forming a compartment enclosing saidprinter, said compartment having an apertured portion through which saidkeyboard projects to enable operation of the keys by an operator, meanscomprising sound dampening material within and substantially lining theinner walls of the compartment for acoustically enclosing the printerand preventing escape of the noise caused by operation of the printer,said lower portion of the cabinet including side wall portions integraltherewith, said side wall portions including legs extending to the floorof the room in which the printer is located and supporting the printercompartment and the printer keyboard at the proper working height fromthe floor, the side wall portions also including webbed portionsextending between said legs and downwardly almost to the iloor butstopping short of the floor to provide space for the toes of shoes' ofpersons approaching or standing beside the unit, and a support securedto said cabinet and movable to a position between said side walls andsubstantially flat against the bottom of the upper portion of thecabinet when the support is not in use, said support being movable intoposition to receive and support the printer at the front of the cabinetwhen the printer is moved out of the cabinet for inspection, adjustment,repair, or other purpose.

5. A unit for supporting and enclosing a sending and receiving telegraphprinter having mechanism including a keyboard for transmitting outgoingmessages and selecting and printing mechanisms for receiving incomingmessages, said unit comprising a cabinet having upper and lowerportions, said upper portion forming a compartment enclosing saidprinter, said compartment having an apertured portion through which saidkeyboard projects to enable operation of the keys by an operator, saidlower portion of the cabinet including side wall portions integraltherewith, said side wall portions having legs extending to the oor ofthe room in which the printer is located and supporting the printercompartment and printer keyboard at the proper working height from theoor, and a support hingedly secured to the front of said cabinet so thatit may be swung rearwardly and upwardly to a position between said sidewalls and substantially flat against the bottom of the upper portion ofthe cabinet when the support is not in use, and may be swung forwardlyand upwardly into position to receive and support the printer at thefront of the cabinet when the printer is moved out of the cabinet forinspection, adjustment, repair, or other purpose, and means for securingsaid support in each of its said positions.

6. A unit for supporting and enclosing a sending and receiving telegraphprinter having mechanism including a keyboard for transmitting outgoingmessages and selecting and printing mechanisms for receiving incomingmessages, said unit comprising a cabinet having upper and lowerportions, said upper portion forming a compartment enclosing saidprinter, said compartment having an apertured portion through which saidkeyboard projects to enable operation of the keys by an operator, saidlower portion of the cabinet including side wall portions integraltherewith, said side wall portions including legs extending to the iloorof the room in which the printer is located and supporting the printercompartment and printer keyboard at the proper Working height from thefloor, said compartment having a iioor, printer supporting frameworkcarried by said compartment floor, said framework having guideways forreceiving and retaining the printer in working position, and a supportsecured to said cabinet and movable to a position between said sidewalls and substantially flat against the bottom of the upper portion ofthe cabinet when the support is not in use, said support being movableinto position to receive and support the printer at the front of thecabinet when the printer is moved out of the cabinet for inspection,adjustment, repair, or other purpose.

'7. A unit for supporting and enclosing a telegraph printer havingselecting and printing mechanisms for receiving and printing incomingmessages, said unit comprising a cabinet enclosing said printer, saidcabinet having a hinged door adapted to be opened to provide immediateaccess to the printer, said door having a shearing edge for tearing oithe paper containing the printed messages which issue from the printer,the cabinet having a slotted portion through which the paper passesadjacent to said shearing edge.

8. A unit for supporting and enclosing a telegraph printer havingselecting and printing mechanisms for receiving and printing incomingmessages, said unit comprising a cabinet enclosing said printer, saidcabinet having a hinged door adapted to be opened to provide immediateaccess to the printer, said door having a shearing edge for tearing offthe paper containing the printed messages which issue from the printer,the cabinet having a slotted portion through which the paper passesadjacent to said shearing edge, and two opposed spaced paper guidemembers within the cabinet for receiving and guiding the paper throughsaid slotted portion of the cabinet, one of said guide members extendinga substantial distance past the other guide member to facilitate manualthreading of the paper from the interior of the cabinet through saidslotted portion to the exterior of the cabinet.

9. A unit for supporting and enclosing a telegraph printer havingselecting and printing mechanisms for receiving and printing incomingmessages, said unit comprising a cabinet enclosing said printer, saidcabinet having a front wall including a door hinged at its upper end andadapted to be opened to provide ready access to the printer, said upperend of the door having a shearing edge for tearing oil the papercontaining the printed messages which issue from the printer, thecabinet having a slotted portion through which the paper passes adjacentto said shearing edge.

10. A unit for supporting and enclosing a telegraph receiving printerhaving selecting and printing mechanisms for receiving and printingincoming messages, said unit including a cabinetu having an upperportion forming a compartment enclosing said printer, means in saidupper portion for supporting a supply of paper for the printer, a welldepending from the upper portion of the cabinet, said well andcompartment enclosing the paper loop between the paper supply and theprinter, guide means disposed in the Well for maintaining an elongatedbight in the paper loop to enable the loop to follow the movements oi'the printing mechanism, said well and compartment substantiallypreventing moisture in the atmosphere surrounding the cabinet from beingabsorbed by said paper prior to printing of the messages thereon.

ll. A unit for supporting and enclosing a telegraph receiving printerhaving selecting and printing mechanisms for receiving and printingincoming messages, said unit including a cabinet having an upper portionforming a compartment enclosing said printer, means comprising sounddampening material Within the compartment for acoustically enclosing theprinter and preventing escape of the noise caused by operation of theprinter, means in said upper portion of' the cabinet for supporting asupply of paper for the printer, a Well depending from the upper portionof the cabinet, said well and compartment enclosingthe paper loopbetween the paper supply and the printer, guide means disposed in thewell for maintaining an elongated bight in the paper loop to enable theloop to follovv the movements of the printing mechanism, said well andcompartment acoustically enclosing the paper loop and preventing escapeof the noise caused by vibration of the paper during the printingoperations.

v 12. A unit for supporting and enclosing a telegraph receiving printerhaving selecting and printing mechanisms including a traveling platenfor receiving and printing incoming messages, said unit comprising acabinet in which said printer is mounted, the cabinet having an upperportion forming a compartment enclosing said printer, means comprisingsound dampening material within the compartment for acousticallyenclosing the printer and preventing escape or the noise caused byoperation of the printer, a platen handle disposed outside of thecabinet and means slidably connecting said handle with the platen topermit transverse movement of the laten during printing operationswithout causing transverse movement of the platen handle.

13. A unit for supporting and enclosing a telegraph sending andreceiving printer having mechanism including a keyboard for transmittingoutgoing messages and selecting and printing mechanisms for receivingand printing incoming messages, said unit comprising a sheet metalcabinet in which said printer is mounted, the cabinet having upper andlower portions, said upper portion comprising a compartment having sounddampening means and acoustically enclosing the printer, said cabinethaving side wall portions which support the upper portion of the cabinetand the printer keyboard at the proper height for the operator whensitting at the cabinet, said upper portion oi the cabinet having a frontWall with an apertured portion through which the keyboard projects toenable operation of the keys by the operator, means acoustically closingthe space between the keyboard and apertured portion, said front Wallincluding a door hinged at its upper end and adapted to have its lowerend raised to provide ready access to the printer, said door including atransparent portion through which the messages transmitted and receivedmay be read and having a shearing edge at its upper hinged end fortearing oil the paper containing the printed messages, the cabinethaving an apertured portion through which the paper passes adjacent tosaid shearing edge, said side walls being spaced apart to provideunobstructed leg room for the operator, means for supporting a somce ofpaper supply for the printer, a Well depending from the upper portion ofthe cabinet and acoustically enclosing the paper loop between the papersupply and the printer, guide means disposed in the well for maintainingan elongated bight in the paper loop to enable the loop to iollow thelateral movements of the printing mechanism, and a support secured tosaid cabinet and movable to a position between said side walls and fiatagainst the bottom of the upper portion of the cabinet when the supportis not in use, said support being movable into position to receive andsupport the printer at the front of the cabinet when the printer ismoved out of the cabinet for inspection, adjustment, repair, or otherpurpose.

VICTOR WEIDNER.

